Life Plan – Dan Greer

When Life Gets Busy, Focus On A Few Key Habits

Dan Greer — Tue, 28 May 2019 19:34:06 +0000

When my life gets really busy, I have to call timeout and reset with just my basic core priorities. They prove to be foundational in a process of regaining my margin and momentum. Self talk about one day this will always slow down is a lie to prevent us from doing what is really important. This HBR post is excellent:

“Eight months ago, we welcomed our third child. In the past, we’ve written about how to navigate careers, stress, and even “annual planning.” You’d think we’d be prepared for wonderful but disruptive life events like these, but as Mike Tyson famously quipped, “Everyone has plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

What It Means To Live A Legendary Life

Dan Greer — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 17:59:10 +0000

I always hate being average at anything when I know I could improve and do better. It is so easy to settle for the status quo and become complacent in the midst of our current competency . Our character must constantly drive us forward so that we can reach our potential. This Forbes post is a great read:

“One of the most powerful questions I’ve ever been asked is, “If your life were a movie, would anyone pay to see it?” My executive leadership coach then went on to ask a powerful follow-up question, “Are you the director of your own life, or the manager of your circumstances?”

7 Reasons To Own Less

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 11:00:20 +0000

I encounter a lot of stress not only in my own life but especially with the executives I coach through my company. One of the self inflicted wounds in this overload world we live in is caused by the demands our stuff places on us just to maintain what we already have. I did not have the wisdom or courage to do anything about this on my own but with down sizing our home, I am now a true believer. This Forbes post is worth the read:

“Ten years ago, I decided to embrace minimalist living. I was spending too much of my life caring for possessions and I was wasting too much money managing and accumulating things I didn’t need. Those possessions were not bringing me joy or lasting happiness. They were keeping me from the very things that did.”

Five Questions To Uncover Your Purpose

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 11:00:13 +0000

I wasted years trying to do the right things without clearly defining what those things actually are. The volume of inputs is increasing daily and how can we possibly know what to do and what not to do? The only way to consistently say No to the good things, to be able to say Yes to the best, is to know and live according to your purpose. This Forbes Coaches Council is excellent:

“In the quiet moments, when you’re truly honest with yourself, you aren’t even sure why you are doing what you’re doing today (beyond just paying the bills). You have no idea how you ended up here. But above all else, you crave more and you know there is more out there — more meaning, connection, consciousness and growth.”

How To Get A Life Worth Living

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 11:00:24 +0000

All of us have things in our lives we would like to do differently. We tell ourselves that someday we will make the changes that will produce the kind of life we really want. Then outside demands increase and we buy into the this is only temporary lie again. If you don’t have the courage to write your own script, someone else will for you. This post by Jeremy Lott was great:

“For my first job in Washington, DC, I worked very long hours. One night, a rare dinner date was lined up. “What time do you get off?” my date asked to coordinate. A long, awkward pause followed. “It’s kind of a philosophical question,” I finally admitted.”

4 Questions To Ask Yourself When You Are Stuck

Wed, 16 May 2018 11:00:56 +0000

I used to think of being stuck as these major times in my life where big decisions needed to be made and I could not find the answer. Now I see it as almost a daily event because I have to decide what is next in the midst of seemingly endless new inputs. It does require you to clearly know what the big rocks are for your life so you can say No to everything else. Great post by Jeff Boss:

“The good news is when you’re in a state of chaos (which I define as an unpredicted or unwanted change that impacts our physical, mental, emotional or spiritual well being) the only next step is to move toward clarity.”

Five Signs You’re Running Yourself Into The Ground

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 11:00:54 +0000

I have this nagging conviction that many days I am simply doing the wrong things faster. My personal productivity far exceeds the development of my personal character. Weekends away from the daily grind feels like catching up instead of slowing down. This Forbes post confirmed a lot for me:

“Time in your workday to protect your time, energy and stress levels. If your calendar is constantly crammed with appointments from the time you wake until the time you turn out the lights, you are on your way to burnout. Working around the clock is not only ineffective, it’s unnecessary. Because we live at such a manic pace, there are five signs you just may be ignoring to protect the most precious asset there is: yourself.”

How To Effectively Deal With Stress

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 12:00:55 +0000

This has become one of the most serious issues I face every week for myself and the clients I work with. It is no longer just about the lengthy work hours but the toxic culture we live in seemingly around the clock. It’s almost like a dark cloud that follows us around that makes it even harder to see the glass half full. This Coaches Council post was worth several reads:

“Our body is a complex and sophisticated system. Its goal is to keep our systems in an equal and balanced environment. In the medical world, this is called homeostasis. So, how sophisticated is our body really? Let’s take a look at our fight or flight system.

Fight or flight is part of self-preservation. When a threat occurs, our nervous system prepares us to stand and fight or flee the situation or threat.”

How To Set Goals That Support Life Balance

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 06:00:49 +0000

There is more and more pushback, especially from Millennial workers, about the expectations about doing work almost 24/7. I also often remind executives the other side of the coin is that we all bring home to work. Bottom line, if we don’t have work life balance it dramatically impacts our sense of well being and productivity. This Forbes post was helpful:

“This time of year, pretty much everyone’s talking about goals. The clean slate of a new year is pretty irresistible, after all, and any leader knows how important it is to set goals. Most of us are pretty goal-oriented people.”

How To Recover From Burnout

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 12:00:53 +0000

One of the most important things I do as a leader is to monitor the margin I have in all of the life accounts included in my Life Plan. I believe in work-life integration and not balance. This allows me to have a short term deficit in one area as long as my overall margin is healthy. However, when my margin is gone in multiple areas, I am in serious danger of moving into burnout. This HBR post will help you in regaining control:

“You feel exhausted, ineffective, unaccomplished, and cynical. Maybe you feel like no matter how hard you work, you can never keep up. Or that you can’t make your boss happy no matter how hard you try. And you’re beginning to question your professional situation: Am I in the right job? The right company? The right career? I used to feel passionate about going into work but now I dread Monday and can’t wait until Friday. Will I ever feel excited about my life and work again?”